It has been too long since my last blog so I am long overdue for an update. Life is good right now but more busy than I ever thought life could be. I recently became senior case manager at the Area Agency on Aging. It's been great to have more interaction with people, which is what I love the most about being a social worker!
I'm attempting to get back on the weight loss route that I was doing really well with before the holidays started. Before the holidays, I had lost 20 pounds (which is awesome!) and my current goal is to lose 20 pounds by April. I have been able to maintain my weight and I'm looking forward to feeling even more better after I lose more weight. I have started to add more regular aerobic to my exercise routine, which I'm hoping will help with the weight loss and to be in better shape. I really like yoga (which is great exercise, don't get me wrong!) but I definitely see a need for more aerobic exercise.
Now, onto our family! Jon started at K-State last semester and will be graduating in 2 years. I'm so thankful he has been able to go back. I know this is something that he was been wanting to do for a long time, so it's great to see this happening!
Madelynn is doing so well. There is always something to be amazed about having a child and to see them learn. It seems that she is a little delayed in walking (she will be 17 months old in about 2 weeks). Madelynn and I were able to meet with a physical therapist for her to be evaluated. The physical therapist felt that Madelynn would benefit from wearing orthopedic shoes and will be fitting Madelynn with the shoes soon. Developmentally-wise, Madelynn seems to be doing great except for being able to walk on her own at this time. The physical therapist said that Madelynn seems to be about 5 months behind of where she should be in regards to being able to walk. Madelynn has hip dysplasia but in September 2011 we were told by her specialist at Children's Mercy in Kansas City was that she shouldn't have any issues with being able to walk. At her 15 month appointment at her pediatrician in Salina, the doctor felt that Madelynn seemed delayed in walking based on her stance. We are scheduled to see Children's Mercy in September of this year to check Madelynn and the hip dsyplasisa. Children's Mercy will be receiving what the physical therapist has found and is recommending for Madelynn so we will see what they have to say. I'm not sure if her delayed walking is due to her hip dysplasia or if there could be another reason. While we are doing well, this is rather stressful for us. It's difficult to see your child go through things that have the possibility to affect a basic task as walking. I'm thankful that this is able to be corrected with the orthopedic shoes. Please keep Madelynn in your thoughts and prayers during this period of adjustment as I know it will difficult for Madelynn to wear shoes the majority of the day.
Hopefully, it won't be several months before my next blog. :) Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Daycare Issues...sigh :(
So, I have recently started a job and Madelynn is going to daycare. I'm currently training in Manhattan but I start in Salina on July 1st. I was really excited for Madelynn to go to daycare because I felt it would be great for Madelynn to be around other kids close to her age for both developmental and socialization reasons.
After what happened in the past week or two at Madelynn's daycare in Manhattan has me hoping and praying that the daycare I found in Salina goes better. I want to preface this by saying that Madelynn will not be going back to this daycare next week.
First off, Madelynn is really sensitive and gets diaper rash very easily. I put it diaper rash creme at least every other diaper change, if not more often. I pick her up from daycare after work and after about an hour of being home, I change her diaper. She wasn't clean from a bowel movement she had earlier in the day (sorry to those who don't change diapers regularly!) and she had the worst diaper rash I had ever seen. She cried when I changed her diaper, so I could tell it ws painful. After Madelynn was asleep, I called my daycare provider and she mentioned that her mom had changed her but that she would address the issue with her. I also mentioned using the diaper rash creme more often. Problem solved for the first issue that arose.
About a week ago, my daycare provider's mother informs me that Madelynn had been given a chocolate donut and some of a hotdog. This is not appropriate food for a 9 month old. Obviously, this is frustrating to me for the reasons of choking and that chocolate contains caffeine. When the mom told me that Madelynn had only slept about half an hour, I responded politely that it probably was because of the chocolate. What is most frustrating is that I provide all Madelynn's food and formula, so there is no reason for her to be getting anything besides what I have brought for her. I didn't want to be the parent that got very angry at what had happened so I decided to think about what I wanted to say and talk about this issue the next morning. My daycare provider wasn't there (the next issue to talk about!), so I mentioned to her mom that I would prefer that Madelynn only be given the foods that I bring for her. Her mother mentioned that her daughter might have confused Madelynn with another child that had been given a chocolate donut and a hotdog. Her daughter wasn't even there and the mother was the one who told me that she had been given those foods! Believe me, I'm all for older adults interacting with younger children but if memory issues are occurring, then it's definitely a safety issue.
Okay, next issue. This is going to be the longest blog I've ever written! My daycare provider has been absent a lot in the 3 weeks that Madelynn has been there. Except for the first week, I've seen more of her mom and teenage daughter lately than I've seen of her. I'm not sure what's going on with that but me not being told that she is going to be gone is frustrating to me.
I also heard her teenage daughter mention that Madelynn was left alone with her for a little while while her grandma did something else in the house for about 10 minutes. Now, I know it wasn't a long time but Jon and I aren't paying $125 a week for our daughter to be watched by teenagers. If that was the route we wanted to take, we would most definitely be paying a lot less.
So, I feel like Jon and I are fairly understanding people but Jon and I have decided that this daycare is not a good place for Madelynn. I pick Madelynn up Friday and after about an half hour of being home, I notice Madelynn has a little over a 2 inch bruise on her lower left leg. Nothing had happened while she was at home to cause her to bruise. Now, I know kids bruise easily but if something happened that caused Madelynn to bruise, I feel I should have been told what happened. I called the daycare provider and asked if she knew what had happened. She mentioned that she didn't as she was gone with her dad at the VA hospital all day (I did know about this) but was glad that I told her because she needed to know for documentation purposes and that she would try to figure out what happened. I haven't heard from her all day, so it makes me feel like she is hiding something from us. I took pictures of the bruise just in case. Madelynn hasn't ever gotten a bruise before, even with becoming more mobile, so it just seems suspicious to me. This is just an extremely frustrating situation and it's very upsetting to me.
I just feel like some shady things are going on and I'm not being informed of what is happening with our daughter. I'm pretty upset about this because I had such good hopes/feelings about this daycare provider. We are looking into our options on where to file a complaint at. We have already paid for next week and I'm hoping we can get our money back but I doubt that will happen.
So, that is what we are dealing with right now. Having a child sometimes makes a lot of opportunites for stressful situations! I will be going to Madelynn's daycare on Monday to get all of her things that are there. I'm nervous about it because confrontation is hard for me but I know that it needs to be done. I feel like I've been straightforward about what I expect and that hasn't been happening.
So, I thought I would end with a quote about having children so that this entire blog post isn't negative! :)
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone
I hope everyone's weekend is going well!
After what happened in the past week or two at Madelynn's daycare in Manhattan has me hoping and praying that the daycare I found in Salina goes better. I want to preface this by saying that Madelynn will not be going back to this daycare next week.
First off, Madelynn is really sensitive and gets diaper rash very easily. I put it diaper rash creme at least every other diaper change, if not more often. I pick her up from daycare after work and after about an hour of being home, I change her diaper. She wasn't clean from a bowel movement she had earlier in the day (sorry to those who don't change diapers regularly!) and she had the worst diaper rash I had ever seen. She cried when I changed her diaper, so I could tell it ws painful. After Madelynn was asleep, I called my daycare provider and she mentioned that her mom had changed her but that she would address the issue with her. I also mentioned using the diaper rash creme more often. Problem solved for the first issue that arose.
About a week ago, my daycare provider's mother informs me that Madelynn had been given a chocolate donut and some of a hotdog. This is not appropriate food for a 9 month old. Obviously, this is frustrating to me for the reasons of choking and that chocolate contains caffeine. When the mom told me that Madelynn had only slept about half an hour, I responded politely that it probably was because of the chocolate. What is most frustrating is that I provide all Madelynn's food and formula, so there is no reason for her to be getting anything besides what I have brought for her. I didn't want to be the parent that got very angry at what had happened so I decided to think about what I wanted to say and talk about this issue the next morning. My daycare provider wasn't there (the next issue to talk about!), so I mentioned to her mom that I would prefer that Madelynn only be given the foods that I bring for her. Her mother mentioned that her daughter might have confused Madelynn with another child that had been given a chocolate donut and a hotdog. Her daughter wasn't even there and the mother was the one who told me that she had been given those foods! Believe me, I'm all for older adults interacting with younger children but if memory issues are occurring, then it's definitely a safety issue.
Okay, next issue. This is going to be the longest blog I've ever written! My daycare provider has been absent a lot in the 3 weeks that Madelynn has been there. Except for the first week, I've seen more of her mom and teenage daughter lately than I've seen of her. I'm not sure what's going on with that but me not being told that she is going to be gone is frustrating to me.
I also heard her teenage daughter mention that Madelynn was left alone with her for a little while while her grandma did something else in the house for about 10 minutes. Now, I know it wasn't a long time but Jon and I aren't paying $125 a week for our daughter to be watched by teenagers. If that was the route we wanted to take, we would most definitely be paying a lot less.
So, I feel like Jon and I are fairly understanding people but Jon and I have decided that this daycare is not a good place for Madelynn. I pick Madelynn up Friday and after about an half hour of being home, I notice Madelynn has a little over a 2 inch bruise on her lower left leg. Nothing had happened while she was at home to cause her to bruise. Now, I know kids bruise easily but if something happened that caused Madelynn to bruise, I feel I should have been told what happened. I called the daycare provider and asked if she knew what had happened. She mentioned that she didn't as she was gone with her dad at the VA hospital all day (I did know about this) but was glad that I told her because she needed to know for documentation purposes and that she would try to figure out what happened. I haven't heard from her all day, so it makes me feel like she is hiding something from us. I took pictures of the bruise just in case. Madelynn hasn't ever gotten a bruise before, even with becoming more mobile, so it just seems suspicious to me. This is just an extremely frustrating situation and it's very upsetting to me.
I just feel like some shady things are going on and I'm not being informed of what is happening with our daughter. I'm pretty upset about this because I had such good hopes/feelings about this daycare provider. We are looking into our options on where to file a complaint at. We have already paid for next week and I'm hoping we can get our money back but I doubt that will happen.
So, that is what we are dealing with right now. Having a child sometimes makes a lot of opportunites for stressful situations! I will be going to Madelynn's daycare on Monday to get all of her things that are there. I'm nervous about it because confrontation is hard for me but I know that it needs to be done. I feel like I've been straightforward about what I expect and that hasn't been happening.
So, I thought I would end with a quote about having children so that this entire blog post isn't negative! :)
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone
I hope everyone's weekend is going well!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Day 30: Your highs and lows of this month.
June has just started! :)
High: I started my job and I love it!
High/low: Madelynn started daycare and is doing really well. I do miss being away from her but I'm glad for her to have the chance to be more social. I think it will be good for her. It's nice to be working again and for me to have some adult time! :)
It's the end of the 30 day challenge! Now, what am I supposed to write about? I will hopefully think of some ideas!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Almost Done with the 30 day Challenge!
Day 29: Goals for the next 30 days.
1) To learn as much as I can about my new job!
2) To enjoy my free time with my family!
3) Make wise food choices the majority of the time- I feel so much better when I eat healthy!
Madelynn is 9 months old today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. She's not quite crawling yet but she's getting very close. She also can move from the laying down position to sitting as of two days ago. I'm excited to see her grow and the changes that are to come!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 28: Something that you miss.
I think it's funny that I just talked about yesterday how I miss being able to sleep as well as I used to! :) I'm having trouble thinking of anything else that I miss because life is pretty great right now!
I guess I can talk about how my new job is going. I really like it so far and the people are great! I have a lot to learn but a new job is always at least a little overwhelming. I know I will catch on soon though. I'm already starting to feeling more comfortable and confident in this new environment. It also helps that Madelynn's transition to daycare is going really well. I really like the lady I found in Manhattan. Madelynn doesn't cry when I leave, which helps me a lot! I only hope the daycare I found in Salina goes just as well. I'm most likely going to start working in the Salina office at the beginning of July after my training in Manhattan.
Hope everyone's week is going well!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 27: A problem you have had.
Well, I have been trouble getting Madelynn to stay asleep at night. I wouldn't necessarily call this a problem as Madelynn isn't a problem but life is good and I can't really think of anything else that I would want to change right now! :) One thing I miss since I've become a parent is being able to sleep well. I'm not sure if this will ever change or if I will always worry about Madelynn! I would appreciate it any advice. I started to feed Madelynn a couple tablespoons of cereal right before she goes to bed because it seems to help her not need a nighttime feeding anymore.
Okay, next subject. I started my new job today and it went really well! It was a little overwhelming because there is a lot I have to learn but I'm so excited and thankful for this opportunity. I was a little nervous about Madelynn going to daycare but she did great! That helped out a lot with this new experience and I hope daycare continues to go well for her.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Attraction!
Day 26: What kind of person attracts you.
I don't think there is a certain kind of person that attracts me. Given the right situation/circumstance, I believe it's possible for people to be attracted to anyone.
I know this is short but it has been a long weekend of travel and this is one tired momma! Have a good week everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)